The game was tight and low-scoring early. Jonathan Brown kicked the opening goal of the game, but the Lions were not to manage another until late in the third term. Both sides defended strongly, and there were only a couple of kicks in it until midway through the third term. But from there the floodgates opened, and the Hawks dominated to blow the margin out. 9 goals to 3 turned the game into a one-sided result, one that keeps Hawthorn in the race for the top 2 but one which seriously endangers Brisbane's finals hopes.Hawthorn 1.3 3.7 7.11 16.14 (110)Brisbane 1.2 1.5 2.10 5.11 (41)Goals : Hawthorn - Franklin 6, Rioli 3, Stokes 2, Lewis 2, Roughead, Crawford, Dew. Brisbane -Bradshaw 2, Brown, Sherman, Brennan.Best : Hawthorn - Franklin, Hodge, Crawford, Rioli, Mitchell, Lewis, Ellis. Brisbane - Rischitelli, Power, Johnstone, Black, Brennan.Injuries : Hawthorn - None. Brisbane - Charman (cut head), Drummond (quad).Reports - Nil. Umpires - Meredith, McLaren, Chamberlain.Crowd - 19,929 at Aurora Stadium.

It had been a traumatic week for Collingwood, with the club suspending Alan Didak and Heath Shaw for the remainder of the season after some indiscretions; but the Magpies bounced back to defeat St Kilda by 14 points, a result that could well be critical for determining the shape of the finals series.After an even first term, the Magpies took control in the second quarter, holding the Saints to a solitary goal to lead by 24 points at the long break. Dane Swan was accumulating plenty of possession, while Josh Fraser was playing his best game for the season in the ruck.The Magpies still led by 4 goals at the last change, but a charge by the Saints caused Collingwood some nervous moments. Milne, Fisher and Schneider kicked the first 3 goals of the quarter within the first 5 minutes of the quarter and suddenly the margin was back to 9 points. But a timely contribution on the scoreboard from debutant Chris Dawes gave the Magpies enough of a buffer to ensure their victory and to climb ahead of the Saints on the ladder.Collingwood 4.4 7.5 11.9 14.13 (97)St Kilda 2.2 3.5 7.7 12.11 (83)Goals : Collingwood - Swan 3, Anthony 3, Dawes 2, Davis 2, Lockyer 2, Thomas, Cloke. St Kilda -Schneider 3, Milne 2, Riewoldt 2, Koschitzke, Jones, Dal Santo, S. Fisher, Goddard.Best : Collingwood - Swan,O'Brien, Fraser, Pendlebury, Clarke, Burns, Davis, Lockyer. St Kilda - Harvey, Goddard, S. Fisher, Hayes, Gram, Schneider.Injuries : Collingwood - Stanley (back) replaced in selected side by Wellingham. St Kilda - Riewoldt (hand).Reports : St Kilda - Fiora for striking McCarthy in the second quarter.Umpires - McBurney, Rosebury, JefferyCrowd - 52,135 at the MCG

Until now the Round 19 matches had been one-sided affairs, but that was to change as the Sydney pipped Fremantle at the post by just 4 points to retain their top 4 position. It was a game of fluctuating fortunes, but the constant throughout the night was the form of Adam Goodes, who kicked 8 goals up forward while also having a significant impact around the ground.A 6 goals to 2 third quarter gave the Swans a 13-point lead at the last change, but the Dockers weren't beaten yet. The Dockers kicked the first 4 goals of the quarter, the fourth being a spectacular run from the wing by Brett Peake, which saw the visitors take a 13-point lead. The Dockers had a chance to extend that lead, but Luke McPharlin hit the post from within scoring range, while another attempt was saved by a spectacular mark in the last line of defence from Paul Bevan. The Swans gradually worked their way back, with Barry Hall's 4th goal at the 29 minute mark restoring the Swans' lead; but it took some dogged defending through a longer-than-expected last quarter to get the Swans home.Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this match.Sydney 2.4 7.6 13.8 17.10 (112)Fremantle 3.5 8.8 10.13 15.18 (108)Goals : Sydney - Goodes 8, Hall 4, J. Bolton 2, Veszpremi 2, O’Keefe. Fremantle - Bradley 3, Campbell 2, Crowley 2, Duffield 2, Tarrant, Palmer, Mayne, Michael Johnson, Pavlich, Peake.Best : Sydney - Goodes, J. Bolton, Hall, Kennelly, Mattner. Fremantle - Pavlich, Palmer, Sandilands, Crowley, Hayden, TarrantInjuries : Sydney - Barry (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Ablett. Fremantle - Grover replaced in selected side by Drum.Reports - Nil. Umpires - Sully, Schmitt, Avon.Crowd - 20,846 at the SCG.

North Melbourne's strong start was the difference in their clash with the Western Bulldogs, the Kangaroos building up enough of a buffer to withstand the challenge from a fast-finishing Bulldogs to win by 20 points.An 11 goals to 5 first half saw the Kangaroos well placed, and when they added the first two goals of the third term the margin was out to 50 points. But the Bulldogs fought back, cutting the margin to 24 points by the last change; and in a frenetic last quarter the margin had been reduced to just 14 points at the 23 minute mark before the Kangaroos steadied. Campbell, Harding, Grant and Harvey all kicked 3 for the Kangaroos, while Brad Johnson scored 5 for the Bulldogs.It was a result that keeps the Kangaroos in the hunt for the double-chance; while the Bulldogs drop out of the top 2 following Hawthorn's Saturday win.Kangaroos 6.5 11.6 15.7 21.10 (136)Western Bulldogs 2.3 5.4 11.7 18.8 (116)Goals : Kangaroos - Campbell 3, Harding 3, Grant 3, Harvey 3, Thompson 2, Hale, Sinclair, Wells, Jones, Lower, McMahon, Thomas. Bulldogs - Johnson 5, Harbrow 3, Giansiracusa 3, Murphy 2, Hahn 2, Welsh, Cooney, Griffen.Best : Kangaroos - Harvey, Campbell, Rawlings, Wells, Grant, Harding. Bulldogs - Johnson, Murphy, Harbrow, Giansiracusa, Cross, Cooney.Injuries : Kangaroos - Simpson (hip) replaced in selected side by Watt. Bulldogs - Hudson (back) replaced in selected side by StreetReports - Nil. Umpires - Vozzo, Stevic, Hendrie.Crowd - 31,957 at Telstra Dome.

Adelaide continued their late-season revival when they accounted for Richmond by 63 points at AAMI Stadium. The damage was done in the first half, with the Crows scoring 10 goals to Richmond's 1 and already by half-time the contest was over.Double Norm Smith Medallist Andrew McLeod was back to his brilliant best, while Scott Stevans and Nathan Van Berlo were also prominent for the Crows. The result sees the Crows just half a game outside the top 4 with their double-chance hopes still very much alive; but it was a blow for Richmond, and with just 3 weeks to go before the finals, it may be one that ends their finals hopes.Adelaide 3.2 10.4 15.6 16.12 (108)Richmond 1.3 1.4 4.6 6.9 (45)Goals : Adelaide - Stevens2 , Gill 2, Goodwin 2, Thompson 2, Douglas, Moran, Massie, Mackay, Edwards, McLeod, van Berlo, Vince. Richmond - Deledio, Simmonds, Pattison, Bowden, Riewoldt.Best : Adelaide - Stevens, Symes, van Berlo, Bock, Rutten, McLeod, Edwards, Doughty, Vince. Richmond -Tuck, Deledio, Johnson, McMahon.Injuries : Adelaide - Vince (hamstring). Richmond - Foley (hip), Schulz (hamstring) replaced in side by Morton.Reports - Nil. Umpires - L. Farmer, M. James, M. Head.Crowd - 37,562 at AAMI Stadium.

West Coast's finals aspirations for 2009 died many weeks ago, but the Eagles played a role in shaping the finals when they ended Essendon's finals campaign; restoring some pride with a close 10-point victory at Subiaco Oval.A career-high 7 goal haul to Ben McKinley was the difference between the two sides, as the Eagles dominated the early stages of the match to run to a 38-point lead at the long break. The Bombers fought back in the second half, finishing full of running. Jason Laycock's 3 goals in the last quarter ensured the match would go down to the wire - but, as was the case in Kevin Sheedy and James Hird's last game in the final round last season, the Eagles had enough of a buffer to ensure the Bombers determined last quarter charge would fall just short.West Coast 6.3 10.6 12.9 17.11 (113)Essendon 3.2 4.4 9.7 16.7 (103)Goals : West Coast - B McKinley 7, D Wirrpanda 3, A Selwood 2, R Davis, M LeCras, Q Lynch, M Braun, C Fletcher. Essendon - M Lloyd 3, J Laycock 3, L Jetta 2, R Dyson, A Ramanauskas, A McPhee, D Hille, A Monfries, A Lovett, H Slattery, C Dempsey.Best : West Coast - B McKinley, Q Lynch, M Braun, A Selwood, M Priddis, C Fletcher, D Cox. Essendon - J Watson, A Lovett, A Welsh, R Dyson, C Dempsey, S Lonergan.Injuries : West Coast - D Wirrpanda (hamstring), J McNamara (corked thigh), A Hansen (ankle). Essendon - Nil.Reports - Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Wenn, Keating.Crowd - 35,288 at Subiaco Oval.

Friday night football was played at an earlier time than normal in order for it to be all over before the Olympics opening ceremony later that evening; but as it turned out the game was over long before the Olympic torch came anywhere near the Beijing stadium.From the start it was all one-way traffic as the Cats dominated. Joel Selwood opened the Cats' scoring with a goal after just 4 minutes, and when Longeran scored his first a minute later, it was already looking like a mismatch. 8.5 to nothing in the opening quarter set the tone for the one-sided nature of the evening, with Melbourne not troubling the scorers until late in the second term as Geelong increased their lead in every quarter to run out convincing 116-point winners. Longeran and Stokes each kicked 4 for the Cats, while Mackie and Selwood were in awesome form. Geelong looked sensational, their running game tuned to perfection; while Melbourne were second to the ball all night, let down by poor marking, poor disposal and failure to exert any pressure on the Geelong juggernaut.Geelong 8.5 12.7 19.10 24.13 (157)Melbourne 0.0 1.3 2.6 5.11 (41)Goals : Geelong - Lonergan 4, Stokes 4, Prismall 3, Mackie 2, Ablett 2, Ling 2, Bartel 2, Selwood, Blake, Gamble, Mooney, S Johnson. Melbourne - Valenti 2, Wonaeamirri, P Johnson, C Johnson.Best : Geelong - Mackie, Selwood, Prismall, Lonergan, Scarlett, Harley, Ling, Corey. Melbourne - Bruce, Whelan, Frawley, Dunn, Maric.Injuries - Nil.Reports - Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Kennedy, Ryan.Crowd - 34,610 at MCG.

Carlton kept themselves in finals calculations, and did it easily, when they thrashed Port Adelaide by 66 points at Telstra Dome. The Blues got off to a quick start, leading by 21 points at quarter time; and any hopes of Port getting back into the contest quickly evaporated when the Blues scored 3 goals in the opening 5 minutes of the second term.But the Blues from then on became inaccurate. They finished with 4.9 for the quarter, and although the game was won, the percentage-booster that would have helped their cause in a tight finals race was not as substantial as it could have been. But the result keeps their finals hopes alive, while for Port it was another installment in a disastrous season that the Power will be looking forward to it being over.Carlton 4.7 8.16 12.22 18.24 (132)Port Adelaide 1.4 2.5 5.8 9.12 (66)Goals : Carlton - Fevola 4, Walker 3, Fisher 2, Kreuzer 2, Cloke, Gibbs, Grigg, Judd, Simpson, Stevens. Port Adelaide - White 3, Motlop 2, Brogan, K.Cornes, Salter, J.Westhoff.Best : Carlton - Waite, Judd, Gibbs, Grigg, Murphy, Carrazzo, Walker. Port Adelaide - Brogan, K.Cornes, White, P.Burgoyne.Injuries : Carlton - Betts (hamstring tightness) replaced in selected side by Hampson. Port Adelaide - Boak replaced in selected side by Williams.Reports - Nil. Umpires - K.Nicholls, McInerney, Mollison.Crowd - 29,696 at Telstra Dome.

A full house was on hand in Tasmania as Hawthorn marked Shane Crawford's 300th game in style with a comfortable 69-point win over Brisbane. Crawford kicked a goal and was among Hawthorn's best.